Charlotte home and Democrat., 1887-06-03
For and Against Union.
arguments in the Southern Presbyteridn

CO11U67lEt00.
A ST. Louis special says: "The atten-
tion of the General Assembly of the South
ern Presby serians was entirely occupied
Thursday by discourses on the sdvisability
of organic union with the Northern
Church.
Rev. J. NJ. Potts strongly advocated
union, Just as soon as il can be accom-
plished on terms and conditions safe and
honorable to both sides. The animosities
engendered by the war should be over.
Episcopalians and Baptists had united
with their northern brethren, and now
was the time for Presbyterians to do like
wise. The Northern Presbyterians were
drifting into Southern Territory, building
churches, establishing missions and be-
coming part of the South. Many people
had united with the Congregational
church because they believed the Presby-
terian church of the south was church
of sectionalism. 1t was time that Pres
byterians were forgetting the quarrels of
the past and issues that were dead
Rev. q. r. Vaughan OF Lexington, Va,
spoke against the majority report. He
thought the church could not change its
relations as quickly as business men and
politicians. There were three different
religious differences between the Norlh lhern
and Southern church's doctrine, viz:
principal and ecclesiastical policy. The
speaker was opposed to allowing such a
wide latitude TO women as in the Northern
churches. He laid particular stress upon
the color line, and after time he said,
you will see an elegant black gentleman
offer his arm to your white girl and she
gratefully accept it. People from Vir-
ginia TO the Gull will not have their rela-
tions with the colored race decided by
the Northern church. The church must
teach that slavery was a moral relation,
not necessary a civil institution. He
would as much expect to revive slavery in
the days Of Rameses as now. Ifit was in
his power to revive slavery now, he would
not do it. He advised the Assembly to
be careful and GO slow.
Rev. B. NJ. Palmer OF New Orleans, re-
vived the issues Of the war, and bitterly
arraigned the Northern church for what
he called ejectment in 1861, and followed
it with an infammatory denunciation,
saying that the color line that was the
cause of the split in 1861 was the cause of
dissension now.
ST. LOUIS, May 2S.-The General AS
Al
Church, after two days. discussion adopted
the resolution offered by DR.. Hoge of Vir-
ginia, which was really a substitute and
compromise for the minority report on or
ganic union, that a committee be appoint
ed to confer with a committee of the
northern church to ascertain the sentiment
Of the latter iu connection with ecclesas
lical boards and the colored churches as
h. loorooI
stood 81 TO SO against the resolution.
ST. LOUIS, May 29.-The commission
appointed to try the appeal of Rev. D. P.
Robinson, from the Synod of North Caro-
lima, reported sustaining the appeal. Rev.
Robinson's wife secured divorce from
him on the ground of desertion. The
granting the decree ordered respondent
to pay alimony, but he ignored the order
and was by the ecclesiastical court sus
pended until he purged himself of con-
tempt of the court. The ground upon
which the appeal was sustained was that
an ecclesiastical court had no right TO de-
eide the relations of ministers with the
civil authorities. The Synod of North
Carolina presented paper in defense of
its decision and the case received a very
full discussion.
At last nights session of the Presby te-
rian General Assembly the Rev. Mr. Page
presented the pl lotest Of the Synod of North
Carolina in tie Robinson matter. 1t was
numerously signed by members of the As
sembly and spread upon the record
The Moderator annoupc ed the commit
tee on organic union. He said that the
task was one he would gladly have avoid
ed. He did not appoint extremists on
either eide, but men who could be de-
pended upon to discuss organic union calm
ly and fairly, and could further be de-
pended upon 10 weigh we'll any action
proposed. He did not know the feelings
OF any members Of the committee upon
the subject. The Assembly then closed
it's business and adjourned to meet in Bal
timore, Nd, next year.